Evaporator



Patented Aug. 7, 19,45

ass-1,686

Evaroaaroa Frank D. Peltier, Horsham, Pa., assignor to Philco Radio and Television Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application February 26, 1944. Serial No. 524,106

(Cl. (i2-4.26)

12 Claims.

'I'his invention relatesto an evaporator structure for refrigerators, and more specifically; though not exclusively, to an evaporator constructed, at least in part, of extruded metal parts.

An important object of the invention is to provide an evaporator characterized by extremesim- .plicity oi' design and adapted for economical manufacture and assembly.v

It is also an object of the invention to provide an evaporator having certain novel and improved structural features hereinafter described.

A further object is the provision of an extruded metal evaporator of generally improved design,

Another object of the invention is to provide an evaporator having .header portions of improved structural and functional characteristics.

` In the attached drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a refrigerator cabinet with its door removed, said cabinet having installed within the food storage com partment an evaporator made in accordance with the invention;

. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the evaporator removed from the refrigerator;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the evaporator; and

Figure'4 is a fragmentary exploded view showing details of certain elements of the evaporator.

With particular reference to Figure 1 of the drawing, the reference numeral vI designates a'refrigerator of conventional form having a food storage compartment 2 defined by an inner liner 3. An evaporator 4, constructed in accordance with this invention, is shown installed within said compartment adjacent the upper part thereof, although ,it may be positioned in other parts of said compartment if 'desired without departure from the invention. p.

The evaporator in its simplest form comprises essentially a C-shaped body member having pare allelrefrigerant tubes terminating in an upper suction header and a lower feeding header. Re- `frigerant ows from a condenser (not shown) into the feeding header from which it courses p through the refrigerant tubes in'to the suction v header and returns as a gas through the suction line to a compressor (not shown).

A particular feature of the invention'lies in the arrangement of the C-shaped body member as compared with the conventional U-shaped evaporator which comprises commonly a suction header at the top of each vertical side wall and with this invention,one of the headers normally used for suction purposes may now be used as a feeding header and the normal feeding header is eliminated, thereby simplifying the construction and adapting the evaporator for economical construction by extrusion method. The term C- shaped as employed in the appended claims, has been used to designate not only the structural coniguration of the evaporator unit, but also to indicate the manner in which it is positioned within the cabinet.

Described more specically, and according to the drawing, the evaporator comprises an extruded metal section Shaving parallel refrigerant channels v'I and side anges 8 and 9, said section 8 being bent into a substantially C-shaped member having top, end and bottom walls I0, II and I2, respectively. Attached to the outer terminal end of each of the top and bottom walls, by welding 'or other suitable means, is a channeled header I5. I'hese headers, which are identical in form, are generally U-shaped in transa feeder header in the bottom wall. .By designing l the evaporator in the form of a c in, accordance verse section, and the longitudinal edges of the legs I6 and I1 thereof are secured tothe surfaces of the respective walls I0 and I2 so that the latter act to close the open sides of the U as illustrated. The headers extend the full width oi.' the said walls and are closed at the ends as indicated at I3 in Fig. 2. x I

The terminal endsof the channels 1 in the said top and bottom walls abut and are closed by the inner surfaces of the outer walls lliI of the respective headers, and the edges of the inner walls I1 of the headers are provided with spaced recesses I8 for reception of the raised Walls of the channels 'I so that the edges of the Walls I'l may conform to the uneven outer surfaces of the top and bottom walls of the section 6 against which they are secured. Thisis best shown in Fig.r4. The channels 'i communicate with the interiors of the headers by way of ports I9 in the walls of the said channels 1. v

The headers include partitions 2| which divide the interiors into -longitudinal'chambers 22 and 23,- the chambers 22 being in communication with the channelsl through the ports I9, and in communication alsowith the respective chambers 23 through series of ports 24 in the partitions 2I.

As stated, the lower header constitutes the.

feeding header of the evaporator, and in practice refrigerant is conducted to this header through a tube 2l which enters the chamber 22 preferably at or near the longitudinal mid-portion thereof. The upper header constitutes the suction header of the evaporator and a suction tube 26 connects with the chamber 23 of this header, preferably also at the mid-section thereof. Secured to the end wall I I of the evaporator, by welding or other suitable means, and extending in parallel relation between-the top and bottom walls, is a shelf 21, said shelf having a continuous passage 28 one end of vwhich is connected to the tube 25. other end of the tube 25 is `connnected, by way of a capillary tube 29, for example, to the aforesaid condenser of the refrigerating system; and the v 9 and having a channeled front edge portion II for supporting a door (not shown), by means of hinges 18 secured thereto. If desired the evaporator may extend continuously from one side wall of the compartment 2 to the other, thereby obvlating panel 3l; or if a unit evaporator is desired both sides may be closed by such panels to enable the vevaporator to be positioned at any location within the food storage compartment without modifying its construction.

The operation of the evaporator is as follows:

Refrigerant from the condenser flows through capillary tube 2! into passage 28 of shelf 21, from which it passesthrough tube 25 into the chamber 28 of feeding header i5, upwardly through the ports 24 into chamber 22 and thence to the refrigerant channels 1 by way of the ports II. 'I'he refrigerant then courses upwardly l through channels 1 into chamber 22 of the suction header. During normal operation liquid refrigerant will not pass beyond this point, As the liquid refrigerant picks up heat from food compartment 2 the liquid changes intov gaseous state and passes through the ports 2l into chamber 22 of the header and thence through suction tube 2l to thecompressor to be pumped thereby into the condenser to repeat the cycle.

Should it be found desirable to eliminateshelf 21 the capillary 2l may feed directly into chamber 23 of the lower header.

An important feature of the header construction resides in the two-chamber arrangement with the communicating ports 2l, in staggered vand preferably laterally displaced relation, see

mg. a, with the refrigerant tube ports le; ay

this means, rapid now betweenthe chambers is waste of the refrigeration potential of the evaporator.

'By use of the invention it is possible a balanced bottom feed. which has proved to be desirable, while eliminating the third header member previously required with evaporators having this type of feed.

I claim:

1. An evaporator construction comprising a substantially c-shaped body member having top. end and bottom walls, a feeding header adjacent Themunicating with the said channels.

3. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said suction header comprises a pair of intercommunicating chambers, one of said cham'- bers having a discharge port and the other communicating with the said channels.

4. A construction in accordance with claim 1 j wherein each of said headers comprises a pair of intercommunicating chambers, one chamber of each header having a port respectively for reception and discharge of a refrigerant medium, and-the otherl of said chambers communicating with said channels.

5. An evaporator construction comprising a substantially c-shaped body member having top, end and bottom walls, a feedingheader adjacent the l forward edge portion oi' said bottom wall, said header comprising a pair of intercommunicating chambers, and a suction header adjacent the forward edge portion of said top wall, said body member having refrigerant channels each of which has one end terminating in open communication with one of the chambers of said feeding header and the other end terminating in open communication with said suction header, means to thencause slugging in the compressor and to 'obtain for introducing a refrigerant into the other of said chambers, and means for, retarding fiow of the refrigerant between said chambers to thereby prevent surging oi the refrigerant into said channels.

6. An evaporator constructionf comprising a substantially C-shaped body member having top. end and bottom wal1s,` a feeding headeradlacent the outer edge portion of said bottom wall, and a suction header adjacent the outer edge portion of said top wall, said suction header comprising a pair of intercommunicating chambers, said body member having refrigerant channels each of' which has one end terminating in open communication with said feeding header and its other end terminating in open communication with one of the said 4chambers of said suction header, and means for retarding flow of the refrigerant between the chambers whereby surging of refrigerant from said evaporator is substantially prevented.

'7. An evaporator construction comprising a substantially C-shaped body member having top, end Aand bottom walls, a feeding header adjacent the forward edge portion 'of said bottom wall, said vheader comprising a pairv of intercommunicating chambers, a suction header adjacent the forward y edge portion of said top wall, saidsuction header comprising a pair of intercommunicating chambers, said body member having refrigerant channels each of which has one end terminating in open communicationwith said feeding header and its other end terminating in open communication with one of the said chambers of the said sucv tion header, and means for retarding flow of refrigerant between the chambers of th'erespective headers, whereby surging of refrigerant into or out of said evaporator is substantially prevented.

8. evaporator construction comprising a substantially C-shaped body portion having top, end and bottom walls, a feeding header adJacent the outer edge portion of said bottom wall, said feeding header comprising a pair of chambers having spaced apertures for communication between said l chambers, andl a suction header adjacent the outer edge portion of said top wall, said suction header comprising a pair of chambers having spaced apertures for communication between said chambers, said body member` having a plurality of refrigeranf, channels, each of which has an aperture at each end thereof, the apertures at one end of the channels having communication with one of said feeding header chambers at points onset from said feeding header apertures, and the apertures at the other end of the channels having communication with one of said suction header chambers at points oifset from said suction-header apertures.

9-. A construction 'in accordance with claim 8 wherein said chambers of each header are arranged one above the other, and wherein the lower 'of said feeder header chambers has a port for connection -with a source of refrigerant, and the upper of said suction header chambers has a port for connection with a source of suction, and wherein the other chambers of both headers are lconnected with said channels.

10. An evaporator construction comprising an extruded metal section having parallel refrigerant having a port for connecting said header to a source of suction.

communication, means for connecting said header to a source of refrigerant, and means for collect- -ing gaseous refrigerant from said tubes atV the -outer end of said top wall, said last-named'means comprising an extruded metal channeled ember cooperating with the outer edge portion f 'said top wall to form a. suction header with which said tubes have open communication, said member 1i. An evaporator construction comprising an extruded metal section having parallel refrigerant tubes running from one to the other end thereof, said section being bent into a substantially cshaped-member having top, end and bottom walls, an extruded channeled member cooperating with the outer edge portion of said bottom wall to form a feeding header with which said tubes are in open communication, means for connecting said header to a source of refrigerant, and means for collecting gaseous refrigerant from said tubes at the outer end of said top wall, said header being divided into two chambers having communicating apertures oifset from the point of open communication of said tubes with said chamber, whereby surging of vrefrigerant into said tubes is substantially prevented.

12. An evaporator construction comprising an extruded metal section having parallel refrigerant channels running from one end thereof to the other, said section being bent into a substantially C-shaped member having top, end land bottom walls, a first extruded metal channel member cooperating with the outer edge portion of said A.bottom wall to form a feeding header with which said channels have open communication, means for connecting said header to a source of refrigerant, a second extruded metal channel member cooperating with the outer edge portion of said top wall to form a suction header 'with which said channels have open communication, means for connecting said suction 'header to a source of suction,` each of said headers having a partition dividing'the header into a pair of superimposed chambers,'said partition having apertures providing-communication from one to the other of said chambers, and said apertures being laterally staggered relative to the point. of communication with said compartments ofsaid tubes to prevent surging of refrigerant into or out of said evaporator.

FRANK D. PmiTIER. 

